Vehicles often have an electrical device mounted on or in a seat of the vehicle. Examples of such an electrical device include seat-mounted stereo controls, seat-mounted temperature controls, a seat-mounted air bag, a seat position motor, and a seat heater. Each of these electrical devices may have an associated control device located elsewhere on the vehicle. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide electrical communication between each electrical device on the vehicle seat and its respective control device on the vehicle. Further, it is necessary to provide electrical communication between each electrical device on the seat and a source of electrical power on the vehicle to energize the electrical device.
It is known in the art to make a hard-wired electrical plug-in connection between an electrical device mounted on or in the vehicle seat and a control device mounted elsewhere in the vehicle. Certain vehicle seats, such as van seats, are removable from the vehicle. The plug-in connection makes removal and replacement of the vehicle seat somewhat cumbersome since the electrical connection must be manually disconnected for seat removal and reconnected for seat installation. Consequently, an apparatus which employs non-contacting means for providing electrical communication, in the form of control signals and electrical power, between a seat mounted electrical device and a control device mounted elsewhere in the vehicle when the seat is installed in the vehicle is desirable. Such non-contacting means would not require manual connection or disconnection of wires during installation or removal of the seat, respectively.